Non-profit foundation

Our foundation and abbot

[Foundation name] is a registered non-profit foundation in Thailand that supports the center, its monastic community and free meditation teaching for everyone.

Our purpose

Teach meditation freely: Offer Vipassana retreats and instruction to Thai and international visitors without charge.
Preserve the Dhamma: Record and share the abbot's teachings so they remain available to future generations.
Support the Sangha: Provide food, shelter and medicine for the monks and nuns who live and practise here.
Serve the community: [Add local programmes: e.g. schools, elderly care, forest conservation]

Registration no. [Foundation registration number]. The foundation is run entirely on donations (dāna).

Abbot

Phra Maha Bunchuay Paññāvajiro

พระมหาบุญช่วย ปญฺญาวชิโร

Known to his students as Phra Ajahn Bunchuay, he is a monk of the Mahanikaya order and the abbot of Wat Vipassana Dong Yen, a meditation temple in U-Thong district, Suphan Buri. His monastic name, Paññāvajiro, means “one whose wisdom is like a diamond,” and the title Maha marks his completion of advanced Pali studies.

He is widely known for his talk series Dhamma Khlai Thuk, “Dhamma to ease suffering”: plain, practical teachings on generosity, mindfulness, living in the present and letting go. These talks are shared across Thailand on YouTube, where some have been viewed more than 800,000 times, and they are offered freely on this site.

Phra Ajahn Bunchuay leading the weekly prayers with ordained monks at Wat Vipassana Dong Yen, Suphan Buri`images/gallery/abbot-06.jpg`

Phra Ajahn Bunchuay reading from the chanting book during the weekly prayers at Wat Vipassana Dong Yen`images/gallery/abbot-05.jpg`

Each week Phra Ajahn Bunchuay leads prayers with the ordained monks at Wat Vipassana Dong Yen in Suphan Buri, the temple where he is abbot.

Watch the abbot's talks

Life and teaching

A life in the robes

[year]
Birth
Born in [province], Thailand. [Birth name and family background]
[year]
Ordination
Ordained as a monk with the Pali name Paññāvajiro at [temple], under the preceptor [name].
Monastic studies
Pali and Dhamma studies
Completed advanced Pali examinations, earning the title Phra Maha. [Pali grade and Nak Tham level]
1 May 2007 · B.E. 2550
Wat Vipassana Dong Yen
Wat Vipassana Dong Yen, a Mahanikaya temple at Moo 10, U-Thong, Suphan Buri, was officially established. Phra Maha Bunchuay is listed as its abbot in Thailand's national directory of ecclesiastical officials.
Teaching
Dhamma Khlai Thuk talks
His recorded talks, “Dhamma to ease suffering,” reach a wide audience online, covering the benefits of giving, the foundations of mindfulness, heedfulness and living in the present.
Today
Abbot and teacher
Leads a community of around twenty monks at Wat Vipassana Dong Yen, and guides meditation and retreats at the Dharma Meditation Center in Kanchanaburi.

Sources: sangkhatikan.com abbot record · Wat Vipassana Dong Yen temple record · Phra Maha Bunchuay's Facebook profile. Highlighted items are still to be filled in.

The foundation at work

Morning alms round`images/foundation-alms.jpg`

Retreatants in the meditation hall`images/foundation-retreat.jpg`

Monks and lay practitioners in white on a group pilgrimage`images/foundation-community.jpg`

On campus

Accommodation and facilities

The foundation maintains the center's forest grounds, its main hall and the rooms where retreatants and visitors stay. Buildings are simple and practical, set among shade trees and gardens so that the whole campus supports quiet practice.

Retreatant rooms: Single rooms in rows of low buildings, each with its own covered porch. Rooms are kept plain, in keeping with the simple living described on the Vipassana page.
Main hall: A large open hall for morning and evening chanting, group meditation and talks by Phra.
Grounds and paths: Shaded paved paths and open ground under the trees, suitable for walking meditation at any time of day.